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Processing Information

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Notes from our processor, North Fork Packing:

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  • The carcass will lose 40-45% of the hanging weight due to aging and processing.

  • Calculate 60% of the hanging weight to estimate the total take home weight. We will provide you with the weight of your total take home product upon pickup.

  • The ‘hanging weight’ is the term used for the carcass's weight directly after slaughter, but then it undergoes dry aging and loses moisture, the aged exterior is cut off and disposed of, and various bones, tendons, gristle, scar tissue, extra body and kidney fat, etc (the inedible bits) are removed and discarded during processing. 

  • We age carcasses appropriately and process conservatively but the reality of the process is the hanging weight to take home weight loses 40% +/-.​

 

PLEASE NOTE: With custom beef we cannot control the fat content of the ground beef. It is animal specific and depends entirely on the beef and which cuts are selected or not.

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Our suggestions:

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Cuts to Keep as Steaks (Do Not Grind)

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Unless you're looking for an ultra-luxury burger blend, avoid grinding the highly prized middle meats, as they lose their premium texture profile when ground: 

  • Ribeye, T-Bone, Porterhouse, & New York Strip: Keep as steaks. These loin and rib cuts are the most tender, expensive parts of the animal. Grinding them is generally considered a waste of prime steak value.

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  • Top Sirloin: Keep as steaks or stir-fry strips. Sirloin has a fantastic beef flavor but is very lean. 

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Most custom beef buyers choose to grind lean cuts that require slow-roasting, converting them into highly versatile, everyday ground beef. 

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  • The Round (Top Round, Bottom Round, Eye of Round): Grind completely. Located on the hind leg, these muscles are exceptionally lean and notoriously tough if cooked as steaks. Converting the round to hamburger beef gives you a high volume of lean meat. 

  • Rump Roast & Sirloin Tip Roast: Grind if you don't eat pot roasts weekly. If your family doesn't eat many roasts over the winter, checking the "Grind" box on these roasts keeps your freezer supplied with burger meat. 

  • Flank, Skirt, & Tri-Tip: Grind only if you don't cook fajitas. While these are excellent marinated, check the grind option on your cut sheet if you prefer.

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Suggestions:

  • Chuck Roast (Shoulder): Keep some for pot roasts, grind the rest. Ground chuck is the gold standard for any burger. It provides a rich, buttery flavor and maximum juiciness. 

  • Brisket (Chest): Grind if you aren't an avid smoker. Brisket adds an intense, deeply robust beefy flavor and excellent fat texture. Blending brisket point with chuck produces an incredibly flavorful patty.  The brisket is automatically ground in a quarter share because it does not split into more than a half well. 

  • Short Ribs: Grind for luxury burgers. While delicious braised, adding short ribs to your burger blend introduces slow-melting, rich marbling. 

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